Let the Truth Sting
by Orison
Summary: A short scene for episode 8x20. Danny finds out about Steve's trip to the jungle, and he's not pleased.
1. Chapter 1

**Let the Truth Sting**

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Author's note: Hello everyone, despite being in the middle of a 30.000-word fic I woke up this morning to the sound of Danny's voice yelling at Steve, and ended up with this scene. It's short, raw and I purposefully left it open at the end, but I needed to let it out.

It's set after Steve and Cath are back to HQ, before they all gather at Kamekona's. It's also unbeta'ed, so all mistakes are mine.

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"What the hell were you thinking? Huh? What the hell is the matter with you?" Danny Williams stormed into his partner's office, pushing the glass door open with such force it rattled. He stopped by the desk, hands on his hips, his face a mask of anger.

Steve got up from his chair, bracing himself for the storm. He knew this was coming, but wasn't prepared for the intensity marking his friend's features and the harsh tone of his voice. Concerned Danny rant. And the more scared he got, the louder he spoke.

"Listen…" he tried.

"Shush. Zip it. I don't wanna hear it."

"Danny…"

If possible, the blond detective's face became even more flushed. "Do. Not. 'Danny' me," he growled, a finger pointed accusingly at Steve's chest. "One day. I miss work for _one_ day to get Charlie to the doctor for a checkup and you decide to take a walk through the jungle because your ex-girlfriend needs help!"

"She's not—"

"I'm not—"

At the sound of two voices simultaneously countering his words, Danny finally noticed the woman sitting on the couch on Steve's left. Catherine's brow was furrowed, and she was looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. He didn't care. He was way past politeness and pleasantries.

"Shut up! Both of you," he said, slicing a hand through the air before focusing his attention back to Steve. "Did you even think before you said yes? Did you think about yourself for one second before you decided to play hero once again and disregard your own needs?"

"What?" Catherine jumped to her feet as Steve's eyes narrowed in a warning glare.

"No. Of course not. Because you never do." Danny raked a hand through his hair, frustration mounting with each second. "Uranium, Steve! Do you remember what it did to you the first time?"

"It was depleted uranium," Steve offered, as if that could make things better. "It's not as—"

Danny rolled his eyes. He honestly couldn't figure out if Steve didn't care about himself, or if he just cared too much about everyone else."You didn't know! You had no idea what you guys were going to find out there! What if you got exposed again, huh? What if this is the thing that finally kills you?

A sharp intake of breath forced both men to look at Catherine. "Steve? What's going on? What is he talking about?" she asked, a shocked expression on her face.

Steve lowered his gaze, wishing he could crawl into a hole and disappear. He knew Danny was right, but what was he supposed to do? _'Sorry, Cath, I can't help you because I'm already sick with radiation poisoning and I'd rather not get close to uranium again?'_ He genuinely hadn't even considered the implications of another exposure until they were on their way to Kaho'olawe. Plus, he had an obligation to the island and the people he'd sworn to protect. And a dirty bomb was a serious enough threat to push his own health issues aside.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Danny stated. It wasn't even a question, because the answer was right in front of him, displayed on Catherine's alarmed gaze and Steve's guilty demeanor. "Unbelievable!"

Steve rubbed his forehead, searching for the right words. "I didn't think it was—"

"What? Important? Risky enough to mention?" Danny took a step back, dumbfounded. "You know what, save it. I don't wanna hear it. I don't know why I even care…" He turned around and strode out of the office, his footsteps echoing loudly around the silent space.

"Danny!" Steve called, immediately starting after him. "Danny, please stop!"

The desperation in his tone halted the Jersey native's dash towards the exit. He stood there, shoulders hunched, until he felt Steve's hand close around his arm.

"Hey, I'm sorry, alright? Can we please talk about this later?"

Danny seemed to deflate, all will to fight apparently lost as he stared at him with sad, resigned eyes, trying to make up for words that right now, he just couldn't find. Steve read the look and swallowed hard, afraid that this time he'd gone too far.

"We're all meeting at Kamekona's for dinner," he finally said, managing to hide the quiver in his voice. "Catherine's buying. She's leaving in three hours and wanted to say goodbye to everyone."

"No. You go." Danny shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You guys go, have fun. I can't. Not right now." His resolve almost broke at the crestfallen look on his friend's face but he just couldn't. He couldn't pretend to be happy. Smile in front of people, drink beer and have fun while the fear for Steve's health and safety slowly but steadily ate at him. He needed time.

"Danny…"

"It's alright. I need to go."

This time, he didn't stop. Steve watched him walk toward the elevator, get inside and disappear as a sharp ache settled in his chest.

"Steve?" Catherine was suddenly by his side, her hand on his shoulder. "Everything okay?"

Steve stiffened. He dreaded the thought of having to explain his health issues to her and going out to celebrate didn't seem like a good idea anymore but she had a plane to catch, and Adam was leaving to meet Kono on the mainland. His family was gathering one last time. He couldn't disappoint them.

A family that wouldn't be complete without its heart, just like his life wouldn't be complete without Danny. So he'd do whatever it took to make things right.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Catherine and nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go."

THE END


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note** : Thank you to everyone who commented on this fic. It was supposed to be a one-shot, but I received so many requests to add more that I decided to write a second chapter.

It was also great to read all the different opinions. Danny's a controversial character. Has he changed over the years? Yes, mostly because the writing has changed. Does he complain a lot? Yes, but he's still awesome and in Harry Langford's words, those rants come "from a place of love". I feel Steve has changed as well this season. He's more on the sidelines, almost like a 'regular' detective rather than our beloved SuperSEAL, and I thought I should address that too. So here's more. Hope you enjoy it.

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"I'm sorry."

"You said that already."

"I mean it, Danny. I really am."

Danny believed him. His tough-as-nails, larger-than-life partner was standing in his doorway, head bowed, baring his soul to him and begging for forgiveness. It wasn't something people witnessed every day, and even to him it was a rare occurrence.

Only it wasn't enough.

Not for the sleepless nights he'd spent over the years, or the trips in god-forsaken countries with no return guaranteed. Not for the bullet-ridden planes he didn't know how to fly, and the dirty bombs that threatened to wipe his family off the earth.

He just couldn't let go.

Drawing in a deep breath he opened the door wide and stepped back, allowing Steve in.

The ex-SEAL looked around for a moment as if trying to decide what to do with himself, and eventually chose to just stay where he was: in the middle of the living room, next to Charlie's 24-inch long, brand-new fire truck. If Danny wasn't so damn worked up right now he would've laughed at the sight of the six-foot tall Commander, hands on his hips, looking every bit as focused and determined as if he was about to lead men into battle, standing next to that enormous toy he hadn't probably even noticed.

"We were never at risk, you know?" Steve started. He wasn't sure what to say to fix things, but was determined not to leave until he did. "There was no real danger."

"And that makes everything better?"

"It should."

Danny threw his hands out in frustration. "You just don't get it, do you?"

The fervent remark gauged a reaction, and an equally frustrated sigh. "Honestly, Danny, what was I supposed to do? It was a credible threat. On the island that I have sworn to protect. I couldn't ignore it."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say.

"Honest? You want me to be honest? You wanna know how I feel? I feel like we're stuck in a loop, having the same conversation over and over again, and nothing ever changes. And I'm not sure I want to be along for the ride."

Steve's eyes widened. "What are you saying, Danny?"

"I'm saying I care about you, something you should be privy to after all these years, but I can't just sit and watch while you go and get yourself killed. It's like I have this front-row seat to the movie of your life and I'm here, constantly worrying while you don't even give it a second glance."

"You know I can't promise you to sit on the sidelines."

"I know."

"And you know I've tried, man. Since our last discussion, I've been trying. So hard sometimes I barely recognize myself. I sit around and I— I delegate, and it's like I'm no longer who I used to be. I've become one of those damn pencil pushers I've always hated. And then sometimes something good comes along and I just… I just can't help it."

Danny understood.

Steve was a man of action. He needed the excitement, the thrill of a chase. He needed to feel alive. And to be fair, he had dialed back some of the crazy since the whole stress counselor fiasco.

"I guess that makes it my problem," he shrugged.

"That's not what I meant."

"Look, I don't know what to do, alright? I worry, that's who I am. And my life is not exactly all sunshine and rainbows right now so excuse me for not wanting to add more drama to it!" He walked over to the couch and sank down into it, feeling as drained as if he'd run a full marathon. "I have a daughter who barely talks to me, an ex-wife who lies repeatedly, a job that lands me in the hospital more times than I can count, and a restaurant that's giving me an ulcer before it even opens. And then there's you, my one constant in all of this mess. Maybe… maybe I've come to rely on you too much but I'm scared, man. I'm scared of not having you around. There, I said it."

Steve almost swayed on his feet, stunned. He knew Danny cared about him, of course he knew. But never in a million years could he have imagined to hear such words coming out of his partner's mouth. Words that no one had ever told him before. Not his parents, not Catherine, not anyone in all of his nomad, solitary life.

"I-I don't…" he stammered. _I don't deserve it._ _I'm not worth it._

He hung his head, needing an extra minute to let those words sink and process their meaning. When he felt safe enough to trust his voice again, he dared to look into his best friend's eyes. "So where does that leave us?"

Danny stared back.

He didn't have an answer to that.

Steve would never stop chasing bad guys. And probably wouldn't live to see retirement. Where did that leave him? Doing the exact same thing he did every day. Worrying. Reigning Steve in when he went too far. And hoping that his thirst for action and quest to help others wouldn't drive both to an early grave.

"Come here," he said, pointing to the couch. "That truck needs its fire station. I promised Charlie it would be all set in the morning."

THE END


End file.
